Differences in the interceptions, tackles and counterattacks of the World Champions in the final soccer matches of the 1994 - 2014 World Cup

Aspects of technical and tactical actions of football players in World Cup matches are insufficiently studied. Indices of quantity and quality of fights for the ball, tackles and interceptions of the ball in the matches of the European League 2011-2012 of the team "Metalist" (Kharkiv, Ukraine) were studied. The authors studied the performance of interceptions and tackles in the competitions of the teams of the first league of the Ukrainian championship in 2010, 2011 - 2016, and 2019; teams of the high league of Ukraine, and compared the performance of interceptions and tackles in the matches of the high and first leagues of Ukrainian championships.

The aim of the research was to determine the differences between the selections, interceptions of the ball and counterattacks of the champions in the 1994-2014 World Cup finals. In the final matches, the world champions are much less likely to fail or incomplete interceptions, rebounds and counterattacks.

However, the sources we analyzed do not contain information on the methods of tackle performance, interception of the ball with the feet or head, counteraction to passes, and shots.

In the course of the research, we conducted pedagogical observations on the tackles, interceptions, and counteractions performed by the world champions of 1994-2014 in the final matches using video recordings of the matches. The results of pedagogical observations are analyzed using the methods of mathematical statistics.